Outthinker London Summit: Navigate. Adapt. Win.
Join us Nov. 5 for the Outthinker Summit in London. No pitches. No vendors. Just chief strategy officers and peers tackling today’s biggest challenges. .
Hello, I’m Kaihan Krippendorff, founder of Outthinker.
If you are a Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, or senior strategy leader, I want to extend an invitation to join us in London for the Outthinker Summit 2025 on November 5.
This will not be another generic leadership or industry event. While there are countless conferences designed for CEOs, CFOs, and CMOs, very few are created specifically with strategy and innovation leaders in mind.
What makes this gathering unique is the chance to be in a room with true peers who face the same challenges, carry the same responsibilities, and understand the unique demands of your role. There will be no vendors and no consultants posing as thought leaders, only practitioners who genuinely “get it.”
Together, we will cut through the noise and address the most pressing currents shaping strategy today. The agenda was designed by strategy officers for strategy officers, drawn from the priorities identified by peers across industries. If you are responsible for shaping strategy, these issues are almost certainly on your radar, and if not, they deserve to be.
1. Agile Budgeting and Capital Allocation
The world no longer grants us year-long certainty. Tailwinds appear suddenly in the form of new technologies, markets, and regulations, and they disappear just as quickly. The question is not whether they will come, but whether your organization can redeploy resources quickly enough to capitalize.
Eric Woodard, former Bain & Company consultant and expert in agile budgeting, will show how leading organizations pivot resources in weeks rather than years, creating flexibility without losing discipline. He’ll show us models that enable financial pivots in real time. You can listen to his recent appearance on our Chief Strategy Officer podcast here.
Why this matters now: As interest rates, geopolitics, and disruptions swing wildly, those who master agility will catch the wind before competitors even notice it is shifting.
2. Creating Value from Data
We are swimming in data from IoT devices, APIs, and AI-powered analytics, and every company is now, in some sense, a data company. The real challenge is no longer about access to information but about purpose. Should this proprietary data be used to strengthen the core business, or should it be monetized as entirely new revenue streams?
Claudio Finol, Chief Strategy Officer of Fyffes, and Joanne Sheppard, former Chief Strategy Officer of Holtzbrinck, will share firsthand how they have answered this question and unlocked value.
Why this matters now: Data is the new oil, but most firms are spilling crude. The refinement and utilization of that data is what matters now. Leaders must decide whether to invest in strengthening their core or use insights as the foundation of something new. The organizations that get this right may define the next decade of competitive advantage.
3. AI: From Hype to EBIT
We have all heard the hype. Now comes the bottom-line test: who is actually capturing EBIT from AI right now, and how can you replicate their results?
In this session, we’ll look at success stories where AI has delivered proven ROI through pricing optimizations, efficiency gains, and new revenue streams. We’ll also surface the headwinds: regulatory scrutiny, technical limitations, and governance challenges.
Shantnu Sharma, former Head of Strategy at AMD and Arrow Electronics, brings a rare perspective at the intersection of technology and business. He has helped global enterprises integrate AI at scale and convert it into measurable results. He will share lessons from his work at AMD, Arrow, Bain Capital Ventures, and McKinsey, showing how leaders can move from experimentation to impact.
Why this matters now: Boards and investors do not want experiments; they want results. Shantnu’s experience demonstrates how to translate emerging technologies into profit and ensure AI delivers measurable EBIT rather than only headlines.
4. The Outthinker List
From studying 7,000 companies, we have identified just 45 that consistently outperform and are included in our Outthinker List. For the first time in London, I will share early findings from this research.
Attendees will see how these organizations adjust their strategic sails to stay on course through turbulence, uncovering the patterns behind their success in decision-making, resource allocation, and anticipating shifts in technology, regulation, and customer behavior.
You will come away with a clearer understanding of what distinguishes companies that thrive in disruption from those that falter, along with practical insights to strengthen your own strategic playbook. These outperformers succeed by design, reading the winds, shaping resilient business models, aligning execution, and staying disciplined in their priorities.
… And One More Thing
In addition to these four themes, we will host Challenge Forums. These are highly interactive sessions where participants bring their toughest questions to breakout sessions. No panels, no scripts. Just candid, peer-to-peer problem-solving among senior strategy leaders who live and breathe these issues every day.
Closing Immersive Session
We will end the Summit with a powerful session designed to spark entirely new ideas. Instead of simply summarizing what you have heard, we will synthesize insights across industries and challenge you to reframe your strategy in real time. This is where the threads come together, and many participants say it is the moment when the real breakthroughs happen.
Too often, strategic gatherings devolve into trade shows or scripted panels. The Outthinker Network Summit is designed differently. The absence of vendors ensures the space remains one of trust and candor.
Here, you will not be sold to. You will be stretched, challenged, and inspired by ideas that matter. Sign up today — connect with peers who truly understand the demands of your role, and leave equipped to navigate the future with clarity and confidence.
Visit Outthinker.com today to learn more about peer-to-peer expertise, navigating uncertainty and thriving through disruption.